Syncom 3
| Syncom 3 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Start date | August 19, 1964, 12:15 GMT |
| Launcher | Thor Delta D 25 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17 |
| COSPAR-ID : | 1964-047A |
| Takeoff mass | 39 kg |
| Dimensions | 71 cm in diameter, 39 cm in height |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Space and Communications (today: Boeing Satellite Systems ) |
| operator |
 NASA
|
| position | |
| First position | 180 ° |
| First satellite in geostationary orbit | |
| List of geostationary satellites | |
Syncom 3 was an American communications satellite owned by NASA from the Syncom program. Syncom stood for Synchronous Orbit Communications Satellite . Syncom 3 was the first satellite in geostationary orbit after the Syncom 2 satellite had entered geosynchronous orbit shortly before .
construction
The Syncom satellites had a cylindrical shape and were spin stabilized. The cylinder jacket was covered with 3840 solar cells that delivered 29 watts. After a year the power decreased to 19 W. Two 2 W traveling wave tube transmitters and two receivers were installed, one of which was in operation and the other was used as a reserve. Receiver and transmitter worked as an active relay and converted from 7363 MHz to 1815 MHz. A beacon was operated at 1820 MHz, 148 and 136 MHz were used for control and telemetry.
Mission history
The satellite was launched on August 19, 1964 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during the first launch of a Thor Delta-D launcher. The Thor Delta C was strengthened by three Castor solids boosters to increase the take-off thrust. Syncom 3's first orbit was elliptical with a declination of 16 °. After further orbit maneuvers, Syncom 3 reached its first geostationary position at 180 ° on September 23.
From October 10 to 24, television images of the 1964 Summer Olympics were transmitted from the new Japanese ground station in Kashima via Syncom 3 to Point Mugu in California.
On January 1, 1965, the satellite was handed over to the US Department of Defense . This tested the transmission possibilities with five ground stations, a ship ( USNS Kingsport ) and also with airplanes until 1966 . However, the military's interest soon shifted to the Defense Satellite Communications System . Syncom 3 was shut down in April 1969.
 
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Syncom 3's position over the Pacific Ocean |
Web links
- NASA Space Science Data Center: Syncom 3 (English)
- Donald Martin, Paul Anderson, Lucy Bartamian: SATELLITE HISTORY - Episode 5 - Syncom 1 to 3 (Sat Magazine, September 2008, English)
Individual evidence
- ^ David J. Whalen: Billion Dollar Technology: A Short Historical Overview of the Origins of Communications Satellite Technology, 1945-1965. In: Beyond The Ionosphere: Fifty Years of Satellite Communication. NASA, August 6, 2004, p. 120 , accessed on September 27, 2017 (English): “Syncom 3 relayed television images from the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games to the United States via the Navy ground station at Point Mugu, California, and a new ground station at Kashima, northeast of Tokyo. "